| Borough of Jefferson Hills | |
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Jefferson Hills War Memorial
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| Country | United States |
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| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Allegheny County |
| Area | 16.6 sq mi (43 km2) |
| - land | 16.6 sq mi (43 km2) |
| - water | 0.04 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Population | 10,619 (2010) |
| Density | 639.7 / sq mi (247 / km2) |
| President of Council | Christopher W. King |
| Mayor | Michael A. Green |
| Borough Manager | Doug Arndt |
| Timezone | EST (UTC-4) |
| - summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-5) |
| Postal code | 15025 |
| Area code | 412 |
| School District | West Jefferson Hills |
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Location of Jefferson Hills in Allegheny County
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Location of Allegheny County in Pennsylvania
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Location of Pennsylvania in the United States
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| Website: Jefferson Hills Website | |
Jefferson Hills is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It includes the community of "Large, Pennsylvania". As of the 2010 census the population was 10,619.[1] Jefferson Hills was first created as a township (Jefferson Township), incorporating on January 22, 1828, and named in honor of Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States, author of the Declaration of Independence, statesman, patriot, author, farmer, lawyer, philosopher, inventor, and architect. The borough is a member of the West Jefferson Hills School District.
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Jefferson Hills operates under a borough form of government. This means that the borough is run by an elected seven member council and mayor. Additionally, the borough is home to an administrative staff run by the Borough Manager which runs the day to day operations of the borough and implements the goals and objectives set forth by the Borough Council.
The Mayor is Michael A. Green, and the Borough Manager is Doug Arndt.[2] The seven member council includes Christopher W. King (President), James A. Weber (Vice President), Tracey P. Khalil, Dominic C. Serapiglia, Janice R. Cmar, Jefferey W. Weir, and Mary K. Reynolds.[2]
Jefferson Hills is represented by Pat Toomey and Bob Casey, Jr. in the United States Senate and Tim Murphy of the 18th District of Pennsylvania in the House of Representatives.[3][4][5] The borough's representative in the Pennsylvania State Senate is John Pippy of the 37th District and David Levdansky of the 39th Legislative District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.[6][7] The District Court judge for Jefferson Hills is Pat Capolupo.[8]
Jefferson Hills is served by its own police department, which is based in the Jefferson Hills Municipal Center. The police force is staffed by 16 police officers along with several community service personnel.
The Jefferson Hills Police Department participates in a number of community-based programs such as the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program in the local West Jefferson Hills School District. Additionally, the police department is a member of the TUPPER project which is a collaborative effort which includes police departments from nine nearby communities. Under this project, all participating departments can access regional criminal information instantly. The Borough’s police are also participants in Pennsylvania Attorney General's Regional Narcotic Task Force and the South Hills DUI task force.
The borough is also served by the Jefferson Hills Emergency Management and Fire Rescue, which employees volunteer firefighters to provide fire protection for the community. The fire department has three locations spaced throughout the community: Floreffe Volunteer Fire Company, Gill Hall Volunteer Fire Company, and Jefferson 885 Fire Company.[9] Each of the fire companies have mutual aid pacts with all of the immediately adjacent South Hills communities.
The crime rates in Jefferson Hills are well below state and national averages. The rates below apply to 2005, the latest year that FBI’s Uniform Crime Rate Report had crime statistics for the borough. The crime rates are based per 100,000 people.
| Location | Violent Crime | Property Crime |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Hills[10] | 83 | 784 |
| Pennsylvania[11] | 425 | 2,417 |
| United States[12] | 469 | 3,420 |
Jefferson Hills is located at (40.285502, -79.933160).[13]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 16.6 square miles (43 km2), of which 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2), or 0.24%, is water.
The terrain of the borough includes rolling hills and wooded areas. Jefferson Hills' southeastern border is the Monongahela River.[14] There are three streams flowing through the borough: Peters Creek, Beam Run, and Lewis Run.[15]
Jefferson Hills is located in the suburbs of Pittsburgh within the South Hills region. To the north, Jefferson Hills is bordered by Pleasant Hills and West Mifflin. The eastern border is made up of the communities of Clairton, West Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Elizabeth Township, and Forward Township. South of the Jefferson Hills is Washington County and the municipality of Union Township. Immediately to the west is South Park Township.
| Pleasant Hills | West Mifflin | Clairton | ||
| South Park Township | Elizabeth | |||
| Jefferson Hills | ||||
| Union Township | Forward Township | West Elizabeth |
Jefferson Hills falls into the northern edge of the humid subtropical climate zone. A humid subtropical climate zone results in the Borough experiencing four distinct seasons with hot and humid summers and long, cold, snowy winters. Precipitation is spread fairly evenly throughout the year with its peak in May. On average Jefferson Hills sees about 13 days of precipitation a month.[16] The warmest month of the year is July with an average high of 85 °F (29 °C).[17] The Borough experiences its coldest month in January with average lows dipping down to 20 °F (-7 °C).[17] The lowest recorded temperature is -19 °F (-28 °C) which occurred in 1994.[17] In 1998, Jefferson Hills experienced its highest temperature ever in July with a temperature of 101 °F (38 °C).[17]
| Climate data for Jefferson Hills, Pennsylvania | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 74 (23) |
76 (24) |
84 (29) |
90 (32) |
92 (33) |
96 (36) |
101 (38) |
97 (36) |
92 (33) |
88 (31) |
79 (26) |
74 (23) |
101 (38) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 37 (3) |
39 (4) |
50 (10) |
62 (17) |
71 (22) |
80 (27) |
85 (29) |
83 (28) |
76 (24) |
64 (18) |
53 (12) |
42 (6) |
62 (17) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 20 (−7) |
21 (−6) |
29 (−2) |
38 (3) |
48 (9) |
56 (13) |
62 (17) |
60 (16) |
53 (12) |
41 (5) |
33 (1) |
25 (−4) |
41 (5) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −19 (−28) |
−2 (−19) |
2 (−17) |
20 (−7) |
22 (−6) |
38 (3) |
37 (3) |
40 (4) |
35 (2) |
22 (−6) |
13 (−11) |
2 (−17) |
−19 (−28) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 2.59 (65.8) |
2.47 (62.7) |
3.24 (82.3) |
3.07 (78) |
4.04 (102.6) |
3.93 (99.8) |
3.90 (99.1) |
3.15 (80) |
3.13 (79.5) |
2.35 (59.7) |
3.05 (77.5) |
2.86 (72.6) |
37.78 (959.6) |
| Source: The Weather Channel[18] | |||||||||||||
| Jefferson Hills Population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1930 | 4,138 | — |
| 1940 | 5,585 | +35.0% |
| 1950 | 5,534 | −0.9% |
| 1960 | 8,280 | +49.6% |
| 1970 | 8,512 | +2.8% |
| 1980 | 8,643 | +1.5% |
| 1990 | 9,533 | +10.3% |
| 2000 | 9,666 | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 10,619 | +9.9% |
| [19] | ||
As of the census[20] of 2000, there were 9,666 people, 3,781 households, and 2,688 families residing in the borough. The population density was 583.5 people per square mile (225.2/km²). There were 3,954 housing units at an average density of 238.7 per square mile (92.1/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 96.76% White, 1.31% African American, 0.17% Native American, 1.09% Asian, 0.14% from other races, and 0.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.69% of the population.
There were 3,781 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the borough the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $50,615, and the median income for a family was $60,767. Males had a median income of $43,972 versus $36,052 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $23,006. About 2.7% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.
| “ | The total area of the borough of Jefferson is 16.8 square miles or 10,752 acres. Its history dates back to January 22, 1828 when it was created as a township from the old Township of Mifflin. At that time, the community was called “Jefferson Township” in honor of Thomas Jefferson.
In 1845, Snowden Township was formed from a part of Jefferson Township. Population of the township in 1860 was 1,601 persons, in 1870 it was 2,066 persons, and it reached a total population of 3,227 persons in 1880 (about equal to the population of 1930). Jefferson Township became a First Class Township in 1914, and in 1950 Jefferson was chartered as a borough. The borough of Pleasant Hills seceded from Jefferson Township in 1947 and by so doing, drastically reduced the population and urbanized area of the township. Jefferson Hills is located along the southern border of Allegheny County and is primarily residential in nature, with approximately one-third of its area presently being used for residential purposes. The residential use is primarily single family dwellings with slightly over one percent being multiple family units. Another third of the borough exists in the form of open space and or vacant ground, with the balance being made up of industrial, commercial, mining, and farming land uses. The major portion of Jefferson Hills drains into two watersheds, the Peters Creek watershed which ultimately drains into the Monongahela River at Clairton, and the Calamity Hollow and West Elizabeth watershed which drains to the Monongahela River in the vicinity of West Elizabeth. Present development has occurred almost exclusively in the flat upland areas. These developments are scattered and separated by large open tracts and or hills and valleys. |
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The area was the geographic base of the Peters Creek Rangers during the Revolutionary War.[22]
Jefferson Hills is a member of the West Jefferson Hills School District. The West Jefferson Hills School District provides quality education for approximately 3,000 students and consists of three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school.[23] The district is organized in a K-5, 6-8, and 9-12 plan, offering full academic and athletic programs.[23]
Educational support programs with teams of trained personnel are available in each of the five district buildings to assist students who are experiencing learning or emotional difficulties. Partnerships with local school districts, post-secondary educational institutions, organizations, corporations, and neighboring businesses further enhance the educational opportunities offered to district students.[23]
West Jefferson Hills School District ranks 18th out of the 106 schools in the surrounding seven-county area based on the 2009 Pittsburgh Business Times school district rankings.[24] The district also has the 14th lowest millage in Allegheny County. The district received the Keystone Achievement Award celebrating the attainment of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) each year from 2003 to 2008.[25]
Thomas Jefferson High School has a long history of sports excellence. The school's football team won the state title in 1980, 2004, 2007, and 2008. The Jaguars won the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association boys soccer championship in 2002.
On the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) level Thomas Jefferson has also achieved significant success. Thomas Jefferson's WPIAL team championships include:[26][27][28][29]
| Sport | Class | Year(s) |
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| Football | AAA | 1980, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 |
| Boys Soccer | AA | 2001, 2002, 2004 |
| Girls Track | AA | 1987, 1988, 1991 |
| Boys Track | AA | 1991 |
| Girls Volleyball | AA | 2001 |
The Mon Valley School provides its student with a range of options and opportunities based upon their needs and interests. Mon Valley provides vocational opportunities for exceptional students to enhance learning and to ensure that all students are equipped to function effectively in the workplace. The Mon Valley School provides students with training in a wide variety of fields from clerical and technical skills to auto service training.
The Steel Center Area Vocational Technical School provides career and technical training to 11 high schools in southern Allegheny County. They offer a half day curriculum for students in the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. While at the Steel Center Area School students are offered a wide curriculum of training opportunities including fields such as auto mechanics, advertising and design, and computer information systems. The Steel Center Area School also offers adult education programs for local residents in the fields of auto mechanics, nursing assistants, facility maintenance, and manicurist technician/esthetic skin care.
Jefferson Borough Library was founded in 1959 by the joint efforts of the Jefferson Borough Lions' Club and a group of private citizens. Library shelving was initially placed in the Council Chambers and later moved to the renovated basement of the Municipal Building at 3008 Old Clairton Road.
Under the leadership of Charlotte Hill and Madeline Conklin, volunteers were organized to staff the library. The library was financed by a yearly donation from the Borough Council, donations from the Lions' Club, local businesses and citizens. Legislative grants were also received over the years.
Volunteers staffed the library until 1963 when Joyce Schmidt was hired as a librarian. Joyce and her volunteers worked to help the library grow for the next 30 plus years.
In October 1992, the library moved into the newly erected Municipal Center at 925 Old Clairton Road.
Today under the leadership and direction of an appointed Library Board and Library Director, the library is growing rapidly into the 21st century.
The library is now open 50 hours per week. With the addition of computers connected to the World Wide Web and WiFi, as well as a collection of approximately 32,000 books, audio tapes, DVD's and file materials the library is entering yet another exciting time in its development.[30]
Jefferson Hills offers many recreational opportunities for its residents. The municipality operates five parks including Gill Hall Park, Andrew Reilly Memorial Park, Lobb’s Park, Beedle Park, and Tepe Park spread throughout the community. These parks offer a variety of amenities from various sports fields, tennis and basketball courts, and playground equipment. Additionally, the borough has several pavilions and the Gill Hall Community Center available to rent to borough residents.
The Great Allegheny Passage is a system of biking and hiking trails spanning 150 miles (240 km).[31] These trails run from Cumberland, Maryland to Pittsburgh.[31] In 2006, the Great Allegheny Passage connected with the C & O Canal Trail to create a 318-mile-long (512 km) journey from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C.[31] This effort was coordinated by the Allegheny Trail Alliance, an organization of the seven member trails stretching from Pennsylvania to Maryland.
Jefferson Hills is uniquely positioned with two members of that Alliance, the Montour Trail and Steel Valley Trail system, intersecting in nearby Clairton. Local trailheads include Triphammer Road, Jefferson Hills (Gill Hall Road), Route 51 - Large, and Clairton trailheads.
The Montour Trail is a multipurpose trail extending 40 miles (60 km) from Coraopolis to Clairton.[32] The trail is made of crushed limestone, making it ideal for biking, walking, and cross-country skiing in the winter.[32] The Montour Trail also connects with the Panhandle Trail, a trail of 29 miles (47 km) trail between Carnegie, Pennsylvania and Weirton, West Virginia.[33]
The Steel Valley Trail will eventually run 19 miles (31 km) from Clairton to West Homestead.[34] Its completion will allow riders to from Washington, D.C. to Pittsburgh solely on bike trails.[35]
Two major roads run through Jefferson Hills, PA Route 51 and PA Route 43. Route 51 runs from Uniontown to the Pennsylvania/Ohio border. In Jefferson Hills Route 51 serves as the terminus for Route 43, otherwise known as the Mon–Fayette Expressway. Route 43 is a toll road and part of the Pennsylvania Turnpike system.[36]
The Port Authority of Allegheny County offers bus services in and around Jefferson Hills. There are several buses which directly pass through the borough, including:[37]
| Route Number | Route Map | Schedule | Route description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Y46 - Elizabeth | Route Map | Schedule | Daily radial route via South Busway and Pennsylvania Route 51. |
| Y1 – Large Flyer | Route Map | Schedule | Monday-Friday peak-direction express route via South Busway and Pennsylvania Route 51. |
| 55 – Jefferson | Route Map | Schedule | Daily feeder route with connections in West Mifflin and McKeesport. |
Jefferson Hills is located 45 minutes to the southeast of Pittsburgh International Airport, which handles most air travel in the Pittsburgh metro area. Additionally, the borough is a short drive away from the Allegheny County Airport, located in the neighboring South Hills community of West Mifflin. The Allegheny County Airport serves as the primary FAA-designated reliever airport for Pittsburgh International Airport. In this role the airport supports a high volume of business and corporate-related activity.[38]
Electricity generation in Jefferson Hills is supplied by both Allegheny Power and Duquesne Light. Natural gas service for the borough is supplied by Equitable Gas Company. Waste Management handles the trash removal and recycling for Jefferson Hills.
Jefferson Hills is home to the Jefferson Regional Medical Center, a 373-bed hospital that serves the South Hills region of Pittsburgh.[39] Jefferson Regional Medical Center has won numerous awards in recent years, especially in the areas of stroke and cardiac care. These awards include:
Jefferson Hills is covered by a handful of newspapers. As with all communities in the Pittsburgh area Jefferson Hills receives the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and the Pittsburgh City Paper.[46] The borough has two local papers, the South Hills Record and the Union-Finley Messenger.
Jefferson Hills as a member of the Pittsburgh metro area is served by a variety of local television and radio stations. The major network television affiliates are KDKA-TV 2 (CBS), WTAE-TV 4 (ABC), WPXI 11 (NBC), WQED 13 (PBS), WPGH-TV 53 (Fox), WPCW 19 (CW), WINP-TV 16 (ShopNBC), WPMY 22 (MyNetworkTV), and WPCB 40 (Cornerstone).[47] WBGN 59 is an independent station owned and operated by the Bruno-Goodworth Network.[47]
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There are a wide variety of radio stations serving the Pittsburgh market. The first was KDKA 1020 AM, which is also the first commercially-licensed radio station in the United States, receiving its license on October 27, 1920.[48] Other popular stations include KQV 1410 AM (news), WEAE 1250 AM (sports), WKST-FM 96.1 FM (pop and hip-hop), WBZZ 100.7 FM (adult contemporary), WDVE 102.5 FM (album rock), WPGB 104.7 FM (talk), WXDX 105.9 FM (modern rock), and WAMO 106.7 (hip-hop, rap).[49] There are also three public radio stations in the area; including WDUQ 90.5 FM (National Public Radio affiliate operated by Duquesne University), WQED 89.3 FM (classical), and WYEP 91.3 FM (adult alternative).[49] Three non-commercial stations are run by Carnegie Mellon University (WRCT 88.3 FM), the University of Pittsburgh (WPTS 92.1 FM), and Point Park University (WPPJ 670 AM).[49]
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